152 



Chase — Notes on Genera of Panieece. IV. 



26. Genus OPLISMENUS Beauv. 



Oplismenus Beauv. Fl. d'Oware ft Benin, 2 : 14. pi. 58. f. 1. 1S09.* 

 Under the genus is described a single species, 0. africanus (op. cit. 15), 

 of which Beauvois says "J'ai trouve cette espece a Chamo, a Koto, a 

 Oware et a Benin." He states that the genus is composed of several 

 species of Panicum and notably those of which Persoon has made a divi- 

 sion thus characterized : " Spica composita, spiculis compressis secundis." 



The species included by Persoon (Syn. PI. 

 1 : 82. 1805) in this division are Panicum 

 hirtellum, P. setarium, P. bromoides, P. 

 cespitosum, P. loliaceum, P. compositum and 

 P. (latins. The type specimen of 0. africanus 

 has not been examined. The accompanying 

 figure is made from Zenker d' Standi 515, 

 collected in Kamerun, Africa, which is in- 

 cluded in the region visited by Beauvois. 

 (The generic name is misspelled " Ophis- 

 menus" in Poir. ; Lam. Encyc. Suppl. 4: 

 271. 1816.) 



Orthopogon R. Br. Prodr. Nov. Holl. 194. 

 1810. Four species are given under the 

 genus, 0. compositus, based on " Panicum 

 compositum P.," 0. aemulus, 0. flaccidus, 

 0. imbecillis. None being figured in the 

 same work and all being equally eligible the first is here taken as the type. 

 Cheeseman (Man. Xew Zeal. Fl. 849. 1906) refers Hekaterosachne 

 elatior Steud. (from New Zealand), the type of the monotypic genus 

 Hekaterosachne Steud., to Oplismenus undulatifolius Beauv. Dal la Torre 

 and Harms (Gen. Siphonog. 14. 1000) also refer this name to Oplismenus. 

 We have not seen Steudel's specimen. His description (Syn. PI. Glum. 

 1:118. 1854) does not well agree with Oplismenus', though it is possible 

 that his description is erroneous. 



Hippagrostis (Rumph.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 2 : 776. 1891. Kuntze 

 gives Rumpf as the author of the genus, with the date 1740. Hip- 

 pagrostis Rumph. (Herb. Amb. ii : 14. pi. 5. f. :!. 1750) is based on a 

 single species, H. amboinica Rumph. (1. a), which the plate shows to 

 be a species of Oplismenus, probably 0. burmannii. Since a binomial 

 species is given under the genus, only the fact that " Botanical nomen- 

 clature is treated as beginning with the general application of binomial 

 names of plants (Linnaeus' Species Plantarum, 1753) " t renders Hip- 

 pagrostis invalid for our use. In the Index Fniversalis (Herb. Amb. 

 Auctuarium, 1755) the name Hippagrostis amboinica is given with refer- 

 ence to the 1750 work. Perhaps this might constitute publication. 



Fig. 15. 

 Oplismt nus africanus. 



(Two views of spikelet and 

 fruit x 10 diam. ) 



* The title page is dated 1S07. The date 1809 is taken on the authority of J. H. Barn- 

 hart as stated in a letter from G. V. Nash, to whom we are indebted for a transcript of 

 pages 14 and 15 of the second volume of the Flore d'Oware. 



+ American Code of Botanical Nomenclature Part 1. principle 2. 



